Although it’s more of a dramatisation of events than a “movie” as such – not unlike something you might see on the Discovery Channel in the early hours of the morning – it’s nonetheless a decent effort and has made it to YouTube less than a month after Snowden first broke cover.

There are a few nice touches including time-lapse photography footage of Hong Kong, while the 24-style shaky cam technique manages to hide pretty well the measly HK$4,000 (£330) budget.

Rather surprisingly the PRISM snitch doesn’t actually speak in the film, despite the actor in question looking not unlike the man himself, although there is a brief clip of real Snowden footage towards the very end.

Freelance video producer Edwin Lee, who kick-started the four day shoot, told CNN most of the script was written the day before filming, with no time for actors to rehearse.

"Yes the film was about Snowden, but he wasn't featured the most prominently," he added. "He's mostly the catalyst [of events] affecting all these different people around him; it's more about the vignettes."

These vignettes include scenes at the local police headquarters, a CIA “substation” and a local newspaper. ®